University of Alabama System Chancellor Malcolm Portera meets with The Times editorial board last month. On Wednesday, Portera was named interim president at UAH. (Times file photo/Michael Mercier)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- A familiar face will be leading the University of Alabama in Huntsville as the search for a new full-time president gets set to begin.

Dr. Malcolm Portera, the longtime chancellor of the three-campus University of Alabama System, was named interim president at UAH on Wednesday by the UA board of trustees. He will continue as chancellor while also running the UAH campus.

Portera will start on April 1 - the last day for Dr. David Williams, who announced his sudden resignation Monday. Williams has not commented publicly beyond the prepared statement in the announcement and has declined repeated interview requests by The Times.

Finis St. John IV, the president of the UA trustees who made the announcement, said Portera has filled in admirably in the interim role before. Portera was interim president at the University of Alabama at Birmingham for three months in 2002, filling in after the departure of Ann Reynolds and the hiring of current President Carol Garrison.

St. John, in an interview with The Times on Wednesday, also downplayed the suggestion that Portera was stepping in to fill an unexpected vacancy.

"I don't know if I would agree with that," St. John said. "There is a history of (Portera stepping in as an interim president)."

"And he is imminently qualified. I don't think it indicates anything other than he is the best person for the job."

St. John said the trustees have not yet formally started the search for Williams' permanent replacement.

"I think the next thing that will happen, and this will be probably after Dr. Williams' official end date, that there will be a search committee," St. John said. "That hasn't been selected yet, but when it is, we'll make that public. It will be a transparent process."

The trustees are scheduled to meet at UAH on April 7-8, and it's possible parameters of the search could be discussed. The agenda for the meeting has not yet been released.

As for how long a search might take, St. John said the timetable shouldn't be the overriding factor.

"I think the emphasis ought to be on getting the right choice and not the fastest choice," St. John said. "That will be our highest priority."

Portera former Miss. State president

But for now, Portera will step in. He became system chancellor in 2002 and soon after was named interim president at UAB. Portera also served as president at Mississippi State University from 1998-2001.

At MSU, the research program was generating about $84 million in science and engineering expenditures for research. That budget now exceeds $215 million, according to the announcement.

Portera's appointment is outstanding news for UAH, according to Joe Ritch, a Huntsville attorney and member of the UA board of trustees.

"I think it is extremely favorable for us," Ritch said. "I commend the pro tem for asking him, and I commend Dr. Portera for dedicating the time that it will take to be up here.

"This is a very positive step. It allows us to continue the direction that UAH is on without any interruption."

Avoiding interruption could be critical as UAH vies to be the new home for the National Solar Observatory Program. UAH is one of seven universities competing for the program, and Williams spearheaded the school's proposal, according to Portera.

While work has been done not to jeopardize UAH's chances for the bid in wake of Williams' departure, it still came about unexpectedly.

"Dr. Williams' resignation was not something that was planned out very long," Ritch said. "When he notified us, we were a little surprised on the time frame."

As for in-house candidates to replace Williams, speculation could center on former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin. Griffin was hired by Williams in 2009 as an eminent scholar and professor in aerospace and mechanical engineering.

Plans are also in place at UAH to build the Center for Systems Studies, which Griffin will head. And there is a precedent for such a move after former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe served as president at Louisiana State University from 2004-2008.

Griffin declined to comment.

"I learned long ago not to speculate in public," Griffin said Wednesday in an e-mail to The Times.